Wrecking Man
by Arcade Lackey
Summary: This is a real world AU where Ralph finds Vanellope tied up in the woods while out on a camping trip with his brother and Calhoun. Why her, of all people? And who could have done this? One thing is certain however; The monster had far worse in mind, and won't let things end like this. Jawbreaker centric (Adult!Vanellope, obviously) with hints of Hero's Cuties.
1. Unbound

**Author's Note: **I know Vanellope's condition when she's introduced is quite cruel and undeserved, but that's just the idea that came to me and I can't really see this story going any other way at this point. The guy in this story who did it to her is a very sick person.

* * *

It was a thoughtful idea on his brother's part, Ralph reasoned. Inviting him along on Felix and Calhoun's little camping trip out in the woods. He didn't exactly **want** to go, but he often found it hard to say no to his elder brother. The fact that Felix was the elder brother, was always something that made him laugh as there was a large size difference between the two in both height and weight. Ralph was six and a half feet tall and a bit on the heavier side, though he wasn't fat by any means, and Felix was a mere four and a half feet tall, and scrawny. Calhoun wasn't quite on par with Ralph's height, but close. She was just shy of six feet tall. The three were all in their early thirties, with Ralph being the youngest at 30. Felix and Calhoun were both 32.

Felix and Calhoun were a new couple. They hadn't even been dating for more than a few weeks and Ralph was a bit of a shut-in when not working. He wasn't exactly one for crowds either, especially since his height made him stand out somewhat more.

Felix and Calhoun just happened to both be the type to save up their vacation days from their respective jobs, so there was no reason their bosses could find to prevent them from taking a week off for this camping trip. Ralph on the other hand didn't have much of a regular schedule for his demolition job and he was free to pass up on offers if he wished.

The place they chose for their outing wasn't exactly **far** from civilization, but it was far enough away for such conveniences as cellphones and other technological goodies to not be of much use. Calhoun was a bit of an expert in regards to camping, or so she'd like to think. As such, she took care of most of the preparations such as food and water, protection from mosquitoes and of course she brought a hunting rifle and handgun. One was for hunting if she felt like it. One was, in her words, 'for just in case'. She never left home without the latter, being a cop.

Their story starts near midnight as the first day of their camping trip wound down. Ralph was in a large red tent all to himself while Felix and Calhoun were in a dark blue tent about 10 feet away from his. He was busy reading 'The Hobbit' since he wasn't exactly tired. He had an odd sleep schedule when he didn't have some wrecking to do the next day. He didn't let many people know he read books in his spare time as he quite enjoyed the impression he gave off of being some big, strong guy that just enjoys wrecking buildings for a living.

After a while though, Ralph realized that he needed to relieve himself for what many guys, himself included, would call a 'midnight piss'. Little did he know that this is what would change his life **and hers** forever.

Ralph groaned as he placed his book beside his sleeping bag and got up to put on his long brown coat. He groaned even louder as the cold outside wind hit him. He made sure to walk a good distance away, perhaps farther than most would go for such a simple deed. He turned back briefly, hardly able to see the light of his tent through the thick of trees to see if Felix was perhaps following him. _Could have sworn I heard footsteps.._ He shrugged it off and did what he set out to do. _This __**should**__ be far enough._

As Ralph was ready to go back, however, from the corner of his eye he saw something that nobody in their right mind would expect to see on a camping trip. Or at any point in time in their lives, really. There was a young woman tied to a tree with rather thick rope a good distance away to his right. She was Vanellope von Schweetz, a 19 year old woman. She normally held her hair up in a ponytail, but it was down, covering her face.

Ralph's blood ran cold, naturally, as he slowly made his way to Vanellope. _Is she even alive? Wh__at kind of mad man __would tie someone up like this? Damn it, I hope she's at least alive. What if she's __**dead**__? She's.. She's not even dressed __by the looks of it__. That just makes this even more__-_

Ralph looked around in a manner that most would normally call paranoid, but in this instance it was completely justified. _I have to be on my toes in case the person who did this is nearby.._ He resumed his small trek and nearly tripped on some roots as he picked up his pace. He wanted to just get this over with and continued hoping that she was at least alive.

Ralph heaved a sigh of relief in finding that she was indeed alive, but simply unconscious. _Thank God for that. _He took his long coat off and placed it spread open on the ground before pulling out a pocket knife he had in one of its pockets. He cut the ropes binding her to the tree as quickly as he could while still eyeing his surroundings. He expected the culprit of such a heinous act to be still around watching, waiting for a moment to take **him** out for interrupting whatever **this** was.. He made sure to hold her up so that she wouldn't fall on her face as the ropes came loose. _This is just not my day. __F__irst I'm torn away from home, now this.__. __I guess I can't really complain when this person is clearly having an even worse day.. __I don't know what's going on, but first I've got to get her away from here. Calhoun woul__d have a better idea of what to do from there.._

Ralph eased Vanellope's unconscious figure onto his spread open coat then wiped her feet of ants that had been biting her while trying his best to ignore the fact that she was completely naked. _This poor woman. Why would someone subject her to this kind of cruelty?_ He wrapped her up in his coat then quickly made his way to Calhoun's tent with her in his arms.

* * *

"Uh.. Calhoun, Felix? I don't exactly know what to do about this.." Ralph practically stammered as he stood outside the couple's tent. _If anyone does, it's Calhoun though.._

"Listen 'Wreck-It', this had better be-," Calhoun said in an annoyed tone as she unzipped her and Felix's tent after slipping her camouflage t-shirt back on, "What the hell? Bring her inside. Felix, you go with Ralph in his tent.." _Damn it.. I don't understand what's going on, but first we should at least get some clothes on her. It's a good thing I brought a few spare.._

"Oh my land," Felix said softly as he saw Vanellope in Ralph's arms._ Where did he find her?_

"A-aye aye.." Ralph said nervously as he placed the young, unconscious woman onto the floor of the tent. From his perspective, Calhoun **always** seemed like she was about ready to smack him upside the head for the smallest reason even though she's only done that to him twice before as far as he could recall. _Easy does it.._

"Of course," Felix said apprehensively as he scratched his wrist. _Whatever happened, we need to be careful around here.. Should we even stay?_

"Go on.." Calhoun said pointedly as she waved them out of the tent and quickly zipped it shut. _Men have no place watching a girl get dressed. Let alone one they don't even know. I don't know who she is, but she's had it rough. Rope burns from struggling, duct tape over her mouth. __Aside from __**that**__ she seems to be okay.__._ She sighed and quickly pulled out a spare set of clothes from her black duffel bag and carefully dressed Vanellope. What she dressed her in was a teal t-shirt and brown cargo pants, and of course underwear. _L__uckily __she's __about the same size __as me, although a bit shorter.__. _After that she carefully peeled off the duct tape from around the woman's mouth. _If we find out who did this to her, that person is going away for a __**long**__ time.._

Calhoun placed the still unconscious Vanellope back onto Ralph's long coat and decided to carve a bit of wood with her knife until she woke up. _Rather than bring her __in__ right away, we should give her a chance to get her mind straight and __maybe __figure out what happened fir__st. I have some neosporin, come to think of it. That should help with those rope burns.. __I don't know though, I wouldn't want to ruin 'evidence'. Damn it.._

* * *

"What happened, brother?" Felix asked softly, "Where was she? How'd you find her?" _Jiminy jaminy. This sort of thing __**would**__ happen on my first vacation in years.. I shouldn't complain, __Ralph__ very well might have just saved that woman's life._

"I don't know, Felix," Ralph said nervously with a sigh as he lied back onto the hard floor of his tent. He insisted that Felix use his sleeping bag as he had taken a nap on **bricks** on more than one occasion so it was nothing new to him. "I just went take a leak and saw her there naked, tied to a tree with rope.. I looked around, but didn't see anybody else nearby."

"Jeepers.." Felix said apprehensively, "You think we should leave?" _What if the person that did this is still nearby?_

"I don't know," Ralph said softly, "Your girlfriend would know better than either of us combined what to do in a situation like this. She's a cop for crying out loud." _That she hasn't told us to get ready to leave should be indication enough that it's __**not **__the option__ she's going __to go __with._

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Felix said softly. _I wonder what happened to her that someone left her tied up to a tree, naked at that.._

"At the very least I guess we're waiting for her to wake up on her own.." Ralph said as he sat up and ran his fingers through his hair, "Maybe find out what happened to her first before getting her coworkers involved." _Should I continue reading since we're waiting anyway? Or would that be inappropriate given the situation? __Either way there's nothing I can do.._

* * *

Hours later as Calhoun was nearly finished carving some kind of weird bug out of the piece of wood she had earlier, Vanellope stirred from her sleep.

At first Vanellope simply groaned slightly. She wasn't fully conscious. At least not until she felt at her wrist and winced before looking around wildly and backing herself into a corner of the tent. She breathed heavily and examined herself only to find that she was dressed in someone else's clothes. _Hers?_ She looked over to Calhoun and untensed slightly as she realized that she was probably 'safe'. _It's__ a far cry from the position __I__ was in the __**last**__ time __I__ was awake __at least__._ Her eyes watered slightly and she winced as she felt more rope burns at the sides of her hips. _Damn it.. __Why'd this have to happen to me?_

"You're awake," Calhoun said softly as she put her knife and carving away, "Can I get you anything?" _She's calmer than I expected her to be, but that's not __much of a surprise._

"Besides payback?" Vanellope asked meekly as she hugged her knees to her chest. _Against the guy who did th__is__ to me.._

"Well I wouldn't rule payback out just yet," Calhoun said softly as she turned her body to face Vanellope, "But for now, what do you need? Are you hungry? Thirsty?.. What's your name?" _I should slow down on the questions.._

"I am a little hungry, I guess," Vanellope said meekly, "My name is Vanellope.." _I wonder how she found me.._

"Alright, Vanellope," Calhoun said softly, "My name is Tamora.. It's not the greatest, but we've got some MRE's you can pick from. We also have snacks if you're interested.." _They were mostly to shut up the boys, but I'm sure they wouldn't mind if she had them.._

"I don't really think I could handle real food right now.." Vanellope said meekly as she lifted and inspected the long coat she was laying on previously, "This is kind of big for you, no offense.." _Why did I have to say that out loud?_

"Oh, that's not mine," Calhoun said softly, "That belongs to the guy who found you." _It's not me she should be thanking. Not that she's thanked me.._

Vanellope's eyes widened worriedly. _It couldn't be__long to__ the guy that did this to me though.._

"You don't have to worry about **him** having done anything inappropriate to you," Calhoun said softly, "He's an idiot at times, but he isn't a lecher as far as I've seen." _It was probably a man who did this to her in the first place __though__, so that reaction is no surprise.._

"Where is he now?" Vanellope asked worriedly. _He still saw me naked even if he did save me. __That alone is.._

"You want to meet him?" Calhoun asked, "He's in the next tent with my boyfriend right now."

"Not really," Vanellope said meekly, "I'd rather just go home and forget this ever happened. But that's impossible, isn't it?" _I'd have to call the cops too. And then they'll want to question me and do a rape test and stuff.. __Not that I was raped. At least not literally. __**Why**__did__ this have to happen to me?_

"Were you attacked at home?" Calhoun asked. _Since she's calm enough for questioning, I might as well ask._

"Yeah. What are you, a cop?" Vanellope asked in a slightly annoyed tone. _I shouldn't get mad, these people saved my life.._

"Yes, actually," Calhoun said, "But we're just out camping." _Is it that obvious that I'm a cop?_

"I'm lucky.." Vanellope said as she hugged her knees to her chest again, "Would it be okay if I sleep here?" _She's really a cop.. I don't like relying on people like this, but.._

"Absolutely.." Calhoun said as she stood up and got off of her sleeping bag, "Here, use this sleeping bag. I won't be using it.." _It looks like I'll be pulling an all-nighter._

"Thanks.." Vanellope said. _My head is killing me.._

* * *

**Author's Note:** As long as this story continues to get support, I'll continue writing it. I normally wouldn't say something like that, but I have a number of unfinished stories and wouldn't otherwise know which you'd like me to prioritize.

Also, I'm currently still working on a Jawbreaker story titled 'The Honeyglow Surge', which is the sequel to 'A Sudden Surge'. 'The Honeyglow Surge' also has Hero's Cuties and a few other pairings you'll like if you give them a chance.

Another Jawbreaker story I had started writing is 'Sugar Rush: Version 2'. It was originally a one-shot that I wrote alongside this one to see which people preferred more.


	2. Attacked at Home

Earlier that night, a few miles from the woods where Ralph, Felix and Calhoun were camping, Vanellope was in her home getting ready for bed after having taken a bubble bath. She was humming along to some J-pop song playing on the stereo in her bedroom after having just gotten into a set of teal striped pajamas. _S-U-G-A-R.._ She laughed. _This song just gets so stuck in my head.._

"Hmm.. A snack before bed wouldn't kill me.." Vanellope muttered to herself as she left her bedroom and walked into the darkness of her living room. _Jump into your racing car.. _"I don't even remember turning the lights out in here yet. Weird.."_ Less work for me though. I hope I don't stub my toe on anything.  
_

Once she got into the adjoined kitchen, she cheerfully cracked open the fridge to grab a slice of cheesecake seconds before a foot kicked the back of her knees, which made her fall to the floor after losing her balance. Before she could even realize what happened, a strong hand pressed a cloth onto her mouth and nose while the other locked her arms at her sides. She was overtaken by shock and struggled uselessly against her attacker as an unfamiliar and lightly sweet, yet sickening smell forced its way into her nose as she desperately gasped for air.

The next thing Vanellope knew, she couldn't move.. and she was freezing. It didn't fully register, since she was still groggy from the chloroform having knocked her out, so she tried to move again.

"You're awake," a cheerful, yet dissonant voice stated. The voice was unrecognizable and didn't even sound human, as it had gone through a voice modifier.

Vanellope finally managed to slowly crack open her eyes as the voice sent chills down her spine. Her eyes instantly widened and she began to panic and struggle against her rope restraints in an attempt to get away. She was so focused on her captor and trying getting away that it took her a moment to realize that she had been completely stripped, in addition to being tied to a tree surrounded by darkness and even more trees. She tried to cry out and plead with her attacker to let her go, but the duct tape covering her mouth made it impossible for anything but muffled sounds to escape. _This can't be happening!_

Her captor walked closer, out of the shadows so that Vanellope could see their 'face'. It was actually a Guy Fawkes mask like what the members of Anonymous are fond of wearing. Her attacker was noticeably short, around four or five feet tall give or take, and had a katana, of all things, at their hip. They wore camouflage; gloves and hat included.

The smile her attacker was wearing was evident in their voice as they drew ever closer, "I've been waiting for a few hours, you know? You must have been so **tired**."

Vanellope flinched as her attacker calmly put one of their gloved hands on her cheek and jaw. _I'm going to die.. No. No no no.. _She turned her head away as tears ceaselessly streamed down her face.

"Yes, you're going to die today, Vanellope," her attacker said as bitterness wormed its way into their voice before becoming cheerful once more, "You deserve it, you know?" They laughed, "You deserve it, but it will be over quickly.."

Vanellope continued to struggle against her restraints and let out a few muffled cries through her nose as if she were trying to speak. She tried to lick off the duct tape covering her mouth as well, though it wasn't working. _Nobody deserves this! What the hell did __**I**__ do?!_ She thought for sure she'd hurl, as it felt as though it was already rising up.

"Shhhh.." her attacker cooed as they tucked some of her hair behind her ears, "It's **okay**. I'm not heartless. I'll let you fall back asleep first if you want. Would you like that?"

Vanellope mentally froze for a while and finally nodded in a slow, despondent way. _How could I get away? If I'm just going to die anyway.._

"So you **would** like to fall back asleep for this?" her attacker asked in a soft, sympathetic tone, "Are you sure?"

Vanellope closed her eyes tightly and nodded slowly again before going limp, no longer trying to escape. _Just do it already.._

"Very well," her attacker sighed in that same sympathetic tone, yet hints of satisfaction made themselves evident as they prepared another dose of chloroform and pressed it softly into her nose, "Just take **deep** breaths.. Goodnight, Vanellope."

Once her attacker could be sure she was asleep, they heaved a satisfied breath. To them, the adrenaline rush was amazing. The feeling of having so much power over someone, and that they were about to cause that person to **die** was almost overwhelming. **Almost**.

They slowly, yet anxiously pulled the katana from its sheath at their hip and admired the blade. "Magnificent.." they said in a hushed, excited tone. From the corner of their eye they happened to see the light of a fire and barely made out the silhouettes of people gathered around it in the distance. _How freakin' long have __**they**__ been there?!_

Vanellope's attacker darted behind a tree and observed the trio for a moment before gritting their teeth. _They've even got tents by the looks of it!_ _It's too risky right now.. I'll have to try again later. Of all the rotten luck.. I go through all this trouble and __**this**__ happens._ They huffed frustratedly and left, leaving Vanellope behind.

* * *

Vanellope violently, and awkwardly shot up the next morning. She was still inside the dark blue sleeping bag that Calhoun had lent her. She hugged herself tightly and trembled at the cold, though she was still dressed in Calhoun's spare clothes, and was in a rather thick sleeping bag. She was alone in the tent, but she could hear two voices outside. She was relieved that neither of which was reminiscent of her attacker's.

"Are you sure we shouldn't wake her up?" she could hear a man ask. His voice was warm, yet rough, if she had to describe it. She couldn't put a name to him though.

"Well I dunno, Ralph.." she could hear another man say with a pronounced southern accent, "You sure that's wise after what someone put her through?" She thought he sounded kind of adorable in a way, though thinking about men was **far** from her top priority, which was just getting the fun out of there so she could try to get her life back to normal after dealing with the cops about the situation she found herself in.

She hesitated a while before rolling her eyes, heaving a deep, anxious breath, and finally decided to unzip the tent and properly meet the people who saved her life.

She was taken aback when she saw Ralph and Felix, and felt uneasy. She immediately considered them the most unlikely pair, what with their size difference. Felix's shortness made her even more uneasy, and adrenaline briefly shot through her system before she realized that he couldn't be the person who kidnapped her. _It wouldn't make sense for it to be him.. Besides, he looks way too weak._

Calhoun, the only one there who Vanellope had actually met so far, was digging through 'the rations' in the back of her large, black truck. She was looking for some snacks since that's what Vanellope had asked for. _Vanellope never did end up eating something before going to sleep. Poor girl must be starved by now._

"Good morning," Ralph said nervously as he looked away and scratched his head. _Well this is awkward.. What do you say after something like that?_

"Mornin'," Felix said with a nervous, toothy smile before running off to 'help with the rations'.

"Hi.." Vanellope muttered flatly and avoided eye contact as well then squeezed her arms over her chest for warmth. _This is the guy that found me, I guess. That means he saw me like __**that**__.._ She couldn't help but furrow her brow in annoyance and clench her teeth, though she was relieved that she was at least safe from that maniac. _It could be so much worse.._

"You can use my coat if you're cold," Ralph muttered in response when he noticed her shivering. _I don't really think I'll be wearing it for a while.._

Vanellope closed her eyes and cradled the bridge of her nose with her fingers. _I just gotta say it._ "Thanks," she sighed.

Ralph cringed nervously and said, "You're welcome.. Don't mention it. Whatever.." He facepalmed and went sit in one of three black tailgate chairs which were placed around the campfire that had long since been put out. He bent down and sighed deeply into his hands. _What are we gonna do now? Calhoun has been so tight-lipped that she hasn't said a word to me all morning._

Vanellope came back out of the tent wearing Ralph's coat and crossed her arms as she sat in another chair nearby. Normally she wasn't one to cry, but under the circumstances there wasn't much she could do. She closed her eyes and sighed, just barely managing to dam the tears which threatened to make her feel even more miserable.

She couldn't help but brood over how **powerless** she had felt, and how **easily** she had given in to her attacker's suggestion of being put to sleep so that she at least wouldn't have to be **awake** when she died. _Was there even __**anything**__ I could have done differently?_ A small pack of snack cakes made their way onto Vanellope's lap as Calhoun sighed and sat down in the remaining chair.

Felix frowned sympathetically and stayed sitting in the back of the truck with his legs hanging over the open tailgate. _This is a pickle.._

"Feeling better?" Calhoun asked somewhat distantly.

"I guess," Vanellope said as she reluctantly opened the pack of snack cakes and took a large bite. She looked at one of her wrists and furrowed her brow worriedly. The rope burns were just one more reminder that it all really happened. _I hope they don't leave scars.._

"So what would you like to do, Vanellope?" Calhoun asked, "Would you like us to bring you home now? Or would you prefer to stay here with us a while longer?"

"Neither here nor there would be safe though, right?" Ralph said pointedly and flinched when Calhoun shot him a glare, "I'm just saying.." _**She's** about the only cop I trust. Even though some officers would likely be assigned to protect 'Vanellope' for a while, that doesn't mean she's __**safe**__._

"Where **would** be safe then?" Vanellope asked Ralph reluctantly with a strong hint of bitterness, "I don't know what to do. I've never had something like this happen to me before. About the closest I've even **seen** is from shows like **CSI** and **Monk**." She heaved a few deep, even breaths._ I need to calm down. None of this is their fault.._

Calhoun stroked her temple with her thumb and sighed, "Do you have anywhere else to go? **There** would probably be better.." _I can hardly believe Ralph has a point._

"My sister has a place with her boyfriend," Vanellope shrugged slightly and briefly forced a half smile, "but I don't even know where we are."

Calhoun took some time to explain where they were.

"Is that anywhere near the Niceland Apartments?" Vanellope asked in an uncertain tone as she raised a brow, "I.. don't do much traveling.." She looked down and finished her first snack cake in one bite.

"It's not too far," Calhoun said with a single nod, "Is that where your sister lives?" _Weird coincidence that it would be where __**we**__ live._

"Yeah.." Vanellope said reluctantly, "but I don't want to cut your trip short.." _I really __**would**__ rather get out of here though._

"I think we ought to, considering the circumstances," Ralph said softly.

"Can it, Wreck-It," Calhoun spat. _He didn't really even want to come in the first place. _"He's right though. For all we know the guy who did it could still be out here."_ I'd better call it in when we get there too._

* * *

**Author's Note:** I'll be continuing 'Sugar Rush: Version 2' as well, though both will only be updated so long as I know you guys are still interested in them. It's not so easy juggling 4 separate stories, after all.


	3. Niceland Apartments

_To nintonic: I know, it's sad :/. I have no idea why I went with such a dark premise to be honest. It will certainly make for an interesting story though, I believe._

_To Guest: Glad to hear it! I'll certainly work to keep it that way :p._

_To Anyoneorthing: Thanks! I will :). If you haven't already, you might want to also check out Wrecking Limits by Vyntresser. It's simply amazing._

_If you guys with accounts want me to respond to your reviews, let me know in the review itself so that I know I'm not bothering you guys when I pm you ;)._

* * *

"Pick a seat, Vanellope," Calhoun said in what was **supposed** to be a friendly tone, though it came out more like an order. They had just finished packing up their tents and all the rest of their supplies for the drive back home. "..Just not the driver's seat. No offense."

"Saying 'no offense' doesn't suddenly make it inoffensive," Ralph chuckled lightly as Vanellope climbed into the back of the truck and sat down cross-legged by the chest full of snacks and other goodies.

"You saying something about my driving, Wreck-It?" Calhoun asked as she stared him down at the tailgate. _Felix asked me not to __hit him__, but what he doesn't know won't bother him._

"I wonder," Ralph scoffed and smirked as he crossed his arms before realizing that he was egging her on. _..She's gonna hit me._

Vanellope rolled her eyes. _Not exactly sure what's up with these guys._ "So is there a reason you keep calling him 'Wreck-It'?" she asked as Ralph pulled his head back to avoid getting 'lightly' smacked upside the head by Calhoun.

"Oh, that?" Ralph asked as he held his arm up by the side of his head to block another swing of Calhoun's hand, "I wreck buildings for a living." _Oww. __I think that might leave a bruise, actually._

"Sometimes just a **wall** or two," Calhoun scoffed and pointed at Ralph authoritatively, "You lucked out again. Get in the back, we're leaving." She got into the driver's seat and shrugged as she looked at Felix who was already seated in the passenger's seat, twiddling his thumbs.

"That's only when business is really slow.." Ralph said as he rolled his eyes and got in the back of the truck so that they could finally leave. _Of course doing things by hand.. hammer.. is fun too._

"I don't think she likes you," Vanellope said dryly as she bit into another snack cake. _I need to eat some real food.. Maybe Taff can cook me something._

"It's not so much that she dislikes me," Ralph said as he avoided looking Vanellope in the eye, "She's just like that. It takes some getting used to."

Vanellope simply nodded in response while also avoiding eye contact. _I guess if it's between this guy or Shorty McShortstack then it's not as bad as it could be. Not that __Felix__ could have been the one that attacked me anyway. __He's too short._

"What about you?" Ralph asked reluctantly as he crossed his arms, "Y-y'know, after.. **that**."_I don't know if she even wants to talk about it.._

Vanellope sighed through her nose and suddenly lost her appetite again. She looked at the half-eaten snack cake in her hand almost as if it suddenly became offensive, "What do you mean?" _Is he seriously asking me about it?_

"I-I don't know," Ralph grumbled and sighed as he scratched the base of his neck, "I'm just trying to wrap my head around this whole thing.. I can't see how anyone would deserve what happened to you.." _And what maybe would've happened had I not been there.._

"I didn't do anything to anybody.." Vanellope said dryly as she scratched the ant bites on her feet, "I don't know **why** they want me dead.. I don't even know how I'm **not** dead." A wave of nausea hit her at the recurring thought of coming so close to death. _Even just thinking about it.._

"S-sorry," Ralph muttered as he inwardly kicked himself, "Is there maybe anything you can remember about the person that did that to you?" _Not that I can do anything about it._

"You're starting to sound like a cop too," Vanellope said as she furrowed her brow and wrinkled her nose, "He was **short** and wore a mask. He had a sword too.. and his voice was messed up like in that movie Scream.. Or if you didn't see that, then the movie 'Saw'." _Has he seen either?_

Ralph reluctantly shifted his eyes slightly to glance at Vanellope's wrists before looking away, "Sorry. Just trying to.. Well I guess I'm not really **helping** anything.."

"You're **curious**," Vanellope sighed before forcing down the last of her snack cake and crossed her arms, "It's annoying, but I can't blame you for wanting to know." _I don't know if I'd be asking the person or not if I were in his position._

Ralph opened his mouth to dispute that, but realized she was right. _I'm not __**just**__ curious though.._ He subtly shook his head, "Sorry.. So who's your sister? I figure you probably rather talk about something else.." _It's either that or have a long, awkward silence._

Vanellope shrugged and finally looked Ralph in the eye, "Doesn't matter.. I have to talk about it with the cops eventually."

"Oh.."

"As for my sister? Well, we're not really blood related, but her name is Taffyta Muttonfudge," Vanellope said, "You know her?" _It's not such a stretch s__ince they all live in the Niceland Apartments.._

"No, sorry. I don't exactly socialize with the neighbors.. That's more Felix's thing," Ralph said as he pointed with his thumb over to Felix in the truck, who was talking to Calhoun. Calhoun would occasionally glance in his direction and shrug while muttering a response. "It's how Felix met Calhoun."

"Oh.." Vanellope shrugged, "Well I guess **he** would probably know her then. I haven't seen her in a few months.." _We talk on the phone sometimes, but that's about it._

Ralph let out a regretful sigh, "So what did his mask look like?" _Why am I doing this?_ He furrowed his brow and inwardly kicked himself again.

"**Really**?" Vanellope chuckled in disbelief and fought the urge to facepalm, "You seen that movie V for Vendetta?" _He can't not ask, I guess.. Seriously though._

"A Guy Fawkes mask?" Ralph asked while raising a brow then shook his head. _This guy is starting to sound like someone from Anonymous._

"I guess.." Vanellope shrugged again. _I didn't see that __movie; I just know of it__._

* * *

The rest of the ride was mostly uneventful, with small talk about a few different movies punctuated by brief moments of silence.

"Thanks for the ride.." Vanellope said tiredly as she climbed out of the truck bed, "Sorry about ruining your vacation."

"Don't worry about it," Ralph shrugged, "So I guess we'll be seeing you around for a while?" _I didn't really want to go on the trip in the first place so this works out for me._

"Yeah.." Vanellope nodded once as she pulled her hair back only to have it fall back down, slightly less in the way of her face, "I can't exactly imagine myself staying alone for a while." _I need to fix my hair.._

"What about your job?" Calhoun asked as she shut her truck's door. _I'm sure she's got one._

"Well I'm **supposed** to be going back tomorrow morning," Vanellope sighed as she tightly held her arms over Ralph's large coat, "I think I'll call in though.. It's not too far from here anyways if I did go in.. Not that I've got my car with me."_I didn't even think about that. __I don't even have shoes right now._

"We probably should've dropped by your house first," Felix pointed out in as polite a way as he could.

Vanellope shrugged, "Too late for that now. This is fine though, really.. and.. thanks for saving my life. I just.. Things are a little hard on me right now. Sorry for not saying it before."

"I just did what any decent person would do.." Ralph said.

"Then thanks for being a decent person.." Vanellope said as she exaggeratedly rolled her eyes. _Even if he did see me like that.. and had the opportunity to do whatever he wanted._ She furrowed her brow and felt another wave of nausea hit her. _Maybe he did, maybe he didn't._

"It almost seems like you're mad at me though," Ralph chuckled nervously and ran his fingers through his hair, "I-I guess I can imagine why though." _I did kind of see her naked.._

"**Forget** about that," Vanellope sighed in annoyance, though it came out almost like a growl, "I don't even want to **think** about it anymore."

"Easy now.." Calhoun barked.

"How would **you** feel?" Vanellope huffed and crossed her arms even more tightly for a moment, though she did try to better control herself with some success. _This isn't helping._

"I'd be **livid**," Calhoun said pointedly, "but Ralph here isn't the bad guy in this. Neither are Felix and I."

"I'm sorry, you're right," Vanellope breathed, "I just need to get away from all this before I lose it." _And maybe take a shower._

"Don't worry about it.." Ralph shrugged, "So do you remember which apartment your sister and her boyfriend are staying in?"

"Yeah.." Vanellope said with a single nod, "Why don't you guys come along? I'll have to tell Taff about it anyways, and I know **Ralph** here is itching to know **all** about it. Plus she'd definitely want to meet the people that saved my cupcakes."

"I'm **sure** he is," Calhoun scoffed. _I am too, of course. __Cupcakes though? Now I'm hungry._

"We **all** are," Ralph said matter-of-factly while furrowing his brow in annoyance, "I'm just the only one that asked." _Apparently anyways._

They at last headed over to the red-bricked, 11 story, Niceland Apartment building and went inside.

* * *

Vanellope loudly knocked on Taffyta's door to the tune of her favorite song, though furrowed her brow when she realized it was the same one she was humming before she was kidnapped.

"I'm coming Vanellope!" Taffyta yelled excitedly, "You can stop knocking now!" After a few moments she opened the door and sighed incredulously, "What's up with your hair? You changed it."

Taffyta was about a foot shorter than Vanellope, and wore a comfortable pink t-shirt and tight-fitting blue jeans.

"We see each other again after a few months and that's the first thing you say?" Vanellope asked as she gave her a long, tight hug.

"O-okay, okay.. What happened?" Taffyta asked softly as she rubbed Vanellope's back.

"It's a long story.." Vanellope muttered into Taffyta's shoulder.

They all went inside and made themselves comfortable in Taffyta's living room while Vanellope gave as detailed an account as she could.

"That's sickening.." Taffyta said softly as she hugged Vanellope close on the couch. _I almost never saw her again.._ "I want you to stay here for a while, Van. Please?" _I can't believe someone did that to my 'little' sister.. If __**I**__ find the person that did it, they'll regret the day they were even born._

"That saves me from having to ask," Vanellope chuckled as she wiped away a few stray tears, "Do you have anything for me to tie my hair back with? It's been bugging me all morning."

"You know I do," Taffyta smiled as she lightly tapped her on the shoulder with her fist, "Thank you guys **so much** for saving her. I couldn't possibly say it enough."

Ralph opened his mouth to speak.

_Here we go again._ "So where's Rancis?" Vanellope asked Taffyta then shot Ralph a look and raised a brow. _We get it already. You saved my life._

Ralph shrugged and crossed his arms tighter. _That was a bit rude. I'll forgive it though, considering the circumstances._

"He's at work right now. Lucky you, because otherwise I wouldn't be here either," Taffyta teased.

Vanellope reluctantly smirked at her. _Funny. Probably true, too._

"**There's** my Vanellope," Taffyta said and gave her a smirk in return.

"So what do you guys plan on doing? Since I ruined your vacation.." Vanellope asked hopefully. _I've got nothing planned._

"I plan on sleeping all day," Ralph yawned, which started a small chain reaction amongst Vanellope's other two saviors.

"Boring.."

"You can go shopping with me instead," Taffyta beamed, "Let them get some sleep." _They must've been keeping watch all night._

"We'll bring you to the station tomorrow, alright?" Calhoun asked, "The rest of us will have to be there anyway to give our statements."

"Alright," Vanellope said as she shook Calhoun's already extended hand, "I'll give you back your clothes tomorrow too."

"I **thought** those pants looked long on you," Taffyta teased as she hugged Vanellope again, "The coat too."

Vanellope rolled her eyes and handed Ralph back his coat. _Yeah, so she's a little taller than me._

"Don't worry, we'll get you some new clothes," Taffyta beamed.

"I **do** have clothes at home," Vanellope pointed out.

"But they're not **new** anymore."

"You don't know that.."

"Uh huh.."

"So uh.. Not to be rude, but we'll leave you to it," Ralph laughed nervously, "See you tomorrow."

"Goodnight," Vanellope scoffed.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I was tempted to show Vanellope and Taffyta shopping for clothes as well, but honestly it'd just be sisterly filler, and they'll interact plenty in the story later on anyways.

Next on the update queue is Reload chapter 40. I appreciate your continued support and patience :).


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